Nvidia recently announced a new graphics scaling technology called DLDSR that will make PC games look better than ever on standard monitors and it works with all games. New technology is exciting but sometimes it's a frustrating reality when compatibility restrictions limit use to only a few of the latest games. Another issue often faced is a requirement to update multiple parts of a gaming rig to enjoy the benefits. Nvidia's DLDSR seems to be a solution for both of these problems and it's coming soon.
Nvidia is the leading GPU manufacturer and its ray tracing technology was unchallenged for many years. Recent advances by AMD, however, have closed the gap and AMD's latest Radeon RX-6000 series compares well with Nvidia's newest GeForce RTX 30-series graphics cards. Beyond raw power, both companies have been refining their software solutions and super-resolution scaling has been a great focus recently, with AMD matching Nvidia's DLSS with FidelityFX and Radeon Super Resolution.
Nvidia recently introduced a new type of super-resolution scaling technology called DLDSR (Deep Learning Dynamic Super Resolution) and it's available across a wider range of games and devices than the similarly named DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling). Whereas DLSS requires game developers to code specifically for this graphics technique, the new DLDSR is automatically applied to all games. Another important difference is DLDSR is a downscaling technology, rather than upscaling as DLSS does. That means it's useful when the gaming rig has more power than needed for gaming in the native resolution of the attached monitor. In an example to clarify this, Nvidia explained that with a gaming system that has a 1080p monitor and gets 145 FPS (frames per second) while playing Prey at 1080p, DLDSR can deliver 143 FPS with a downscaled resolution that's perceptually similar to 4K quality. The takeaway is a much cleaner image at nearly the same speed.
How Nvidia's DLDSR Downscaling Works
Downscaling means the computer and GPU are processing graphics at 4K resolution, but outputs to the display at its normal 1080p resolution. While there's no way to make a 1080p monitor as crisp as a 4K display, this downsampling method improves image quality by smoothing edges, reducing shimmering, and enhancing detail. Nvidia GPUs already have a form of this called DSR, but it typically results in a big performance hit. In the example given above, when playing Prey while using DSR, the frame rate drops to 108 FPS. While still very playable, it's much lower than the 143 FPS of the newer DLDSR.
DLSS upscales from lower resolution to higher, which is nice when connecting to a 4K monitor but running a computer system that can't process 4K graphics rapidly enough. DLDSR is for the opposite case, where the computer has plenty of power but the attached display is lower resolution. Nvidia said the update will be available starting January 14, 2022. To enable DLDSR, the user simply needs to install the new driver, open the NVIDIA Control Panel, and select DLDSR under Manage 3D Settings and DSR Factors. This should result in an immediate improvement in frame rates on any game, a very nice New Year's gift from Nvidia.
Source: Nvidia